Pakistan withdrew from the tournament at the last moment.

Time for Stephen Constantine and Co to make some emphatic statementAIFF Media

India will be looking for their record seventh South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) title as they get set to participate in the 11th edition of the prestigious football tournament featuring South Asian nations.

Stephen Constantine's side are with Nepal and Sri Lanka in Group A, whereas Group B constitutes Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Pakistan were the fourth team in Group A, but they decided to pull out of the competition over supposed issues within the Pakistan Football Federation.

Afghanistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India in the 2013 final 2-0 in Nepal.

India host the SAFF Cup for the third time this year, and playing at home has really proven lucky for the national team. In 1999, the Blue Tigers defeated Bangladesh 2-0 at home, and in 2011, defeated Afghanistan 4-0 at home.

The list of probables for the Indian national team were announced earlier this month, and it features players who haven't played the Indian Super League or the I-League. Check the list HERE.

SAFF Cup 2015 schedule:

Date

Home team

Away team

Time

Venue

23 December

Nepal

v

Sri Lanka

6:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

24 December

Maldives

v

Bhutan

3:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

24 December

Afghanistan

v

Bangladesh

6:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

25 December

Sri Lanka

v

India

6:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

26 December

Bangladesh

v

Maldives

3:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

26 December

Bhutan

v

Afghanistan

6:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

27 December

India

v

Nepal

6:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

28 December

Bhutan

v

Bangladesh

3:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

28 December

Afghanistan

v

Maldives

6:30 pm IST

Trivandrum International Stadium, Kerala

Two teams from each group qualify for the semi finals of the tournament.